Exodus 21:2
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything. Exodus 21:2WEB
Classification
The Command
This passage contains a positive command, directed toward Israel: "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh year he shall go free without paying anything".
Categories
This command is part of the Civil/Judicial Law.
The command fits with laws relating to Loving one's neighbor and to Template:Translink.
This passage is relevant to an understanding of Slavery. In view of its parallels in Leviticus 25:39-46 and Deuteronomy 15:3,12-18, it is also relevant to an understanding of Citizenship because this release in the seventh year is afforded to Hebrew slaves in particular, to the Sabbath because this relates to the Sabbath Year (or the "Year of Jubilee").
Fulfillment
The continuing application of this command requires further investigation, as there are various views about the abiding validity of "sabbaths", whether or not all sabbaths are abrogated, or whether laws pertaining to the sabbath year are subject to different terms from laws pertaining to the sabbath day.
The command to forgive debts, in particular, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who forgave all our trespasses, and canceled the record of our debt to God by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
